CLEVELAND -- The Indians will have some help blowing into the Windy City this week. Veteran outfielder Johnny Damon is expected to join the club for its upcoming road series against the White Sox.

Damon has spent the bulk of the past two weeks training at the Tribe's complex in Goodyear, Ariz., but he will have a locker awaiting him at U.S. Cellular Field on Tuesday, when the Indians open a three-game set.

When the Indians officially add Damon to the Major League roster, the team will need to make a subsequent transaction to clear room.

Cleveland signed the 38-year-old Damon to a Minor League contract on April 17, but the deal includes a base salary of $1.25 million once he is added to the big league roster. Since signing, Damon has participated in workouts and extended spring training games in Goodyear in preparation for joining the Indians.

The Indians indicated that their original plan was to have Damon advance to Minor League games -- likely with Triple-A Columbus -- prior to heading to Cleveland. Of course, plans have a way of changing. As of late, the Tribe's offense has sputtered, which possibly plays a role in the team's decision to accelerate Damon's arrival.

Over the past seven games, the Indians have managed just 17 runs and have gone 3-4. Cleveland has scored two runs or fewer in four of those games and the club is currently mired in an 11-game homerless drought that dates back to April 17. That marks the longest power outage for the team since a 14-game homerless streak in 1983.

Damon has spent most of the past two seasons working as a designated hitter, but he projects to garner most of his playing time in left field with the Indians. While in Arizona, Damon split his time between left field and DH in extended spring games, but the club has expressed confidence in the veteran's ability to move into the outfielder on a more regular basis.

Adding Damon helps bridge the gap to the expected return of sidelined center fielder Grady Sizemore, who remains on the 60-day disabled list while rehabbing from lower back surgery. Sizemore has initiated baseball activities and a light walk-jog program, but he is not eligible to be activated until June 3 at the earliest.

Cleveland already has a full-time DH in veteran Travis Hafner.

Shelley Duncan earned the Opening Day left-field job during Spring Training after spending the past few seasons primarily as a backup first baseman, left fielder and DH off the bench. The left-handed Damon and right-handed Duncan would presumably split the playing time in left, with Duncan offering added insurance at his other positions.

Duncan enjoyed a strong start to the season, hitting .333 (9-for-27) with two homers and 10 walks compared to six strikeouts. With his 0-for-3 performance against the Angels on Sunday, Duncan slipped to a .147 (5-for-34) average with no homers, 16 strikeouts and three walks in his last 10 games, dating back to April 18.

Over a 17-year big league career, Damon has hit .286 with a .353 on-base percentage and 2,723 hits in tours with the Royals, A's, Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers and Rays. Last season, Damon hit .261 with a .326 on-base percentage, 11 stolen bases, 16 home runs, 29 doubles, 73 RBIs and 81 runs scored in 150 games for Tampa Bay.

Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo, who has missed the past five games with a left hamstring injury, is expected to rejoin the Indians' lineup on Tuesday. Following Sunday's game, Tribe manager Manny Acta remained optimistic that Choo -- the team's No. 3 hitter -- would be able to avoid a trip to the disabled list.

If the disabled list is indeed ruled out for Choo, the Tribe will need to remove another player from the roster to clear room for Damon.

CLEVELAND -- Johnny Damon brings a presence to the top of Cleveland's lineup and professionalism to its clubhouse.

Big bonuses for the ballclub.

However, what the Indians are craving is some power.

In fact, any power.

Damon, who has spent the past few weeks at the club's facility in Goodyear, Ariz., warming up a swing that has produced nearly 3,000 hits and readying his legs for the grind of his 18th season in the majors, will join the AL Central-leading Indians on Tuesday in Chicago when they open a three-game series against the White Sox.

Cleveland signed the 38-year-old outfielder on April 17, a minimal-risk move made to upgrade the club's outfield and potentially ignite a sputtering offense.

Although they're in first place, the Indians have been wildly inconsistent at the plate and have gone 11 consecutive games without a home run. According to STATS LLC, Cleveland's homerless drought is the majors' third-longest since 2000. Only the Los Angeles Angels in 2007 (14 games) and San Francisco Giants in 2008 (12) had longer gaps between home runs.

The Indians signed him to a minor league deal that will become a one-year, $1.25 million major league contract when he's added to the 40-man roster. Damon can make another $1.4 million in performance bonuses based on plate appearances. The Indians will have to clear a roster spot to make room for Damon, who was initially expected to spend some time in the minor leagues.

But he'll open May with the Indians.

The club was 1-4 when it agreed to terms with Damon. Since then, the Indians have gone 10-5, but their offense has remained as unpredictable as the spring weather. Cleveland has scored just 17 runs in the past seven games, going 3-4 in that span. On Sunday, the Indians got two of their runs when Los Angeles right fielder Torii Hunter lost a ball in the sun.

Damon was initially expected to share playing time in left field with Shelley Duncan, who won the starting job in training camp and got off to a great start but is slumping badly.

In Cleveland's first nine games, Duncan batted .333 with two homers, six RBIs and 10 walks, an early surprise for Acta. But in Duncan's last 10 games, the free swinger is hitting only .147 with no homers and 16 strikeouts. He's fanned 12 times in his past seven games, becoming almost an automatic out.

Damon will likely start immediately in left field for Acta against the White Sox, and he could be joined in Cleveland's outfield by Shin-Soo Choo, who is expected to return after missing five games with a strained left hamstring.

Damon is just 277 hits shy of 3,000 for his career, and although he won't get to the milestone this season, his addition could have a major impact on the Indians, who are hoping to stay in the playoff race until the end after fading down the stretch last season. Damon was initially viewed as a stop-gap measure until Grady Sizemore (back surgery) comes off the disabled list, but there's no guarantee the three-time All-Star will produce the way he once did for Cleveland.

Sizemore has resumed baseball activities but isn't eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list until June 3.

Damon, who batted .261 with 16 homers and 73 RBIs mostly as a designated hitter last season for Tampa Bay, brings stability and invaluable postseason experience to the Indians, who will need a player of that pedigree to guide some of the club's younger players later this season.